1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an emergency repair of a disabled trailer by replacement of a broken or damaged trailer axle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Trailers used to haul furniture, horses, boats, snowmobiles, personal watercraft, ATV's, gliders, etc., are usually attached to an automobile or small truck by a simple ball hitch. The trailers can have a ladder frame with side rails extending along the length connected to spaced cross members. The frame includes one or more axles terminating in hub assemblies on each side of the trailer. Tires mounted on wheels bolted to the hub assemblies support the frame and provide locomotion for the trailer.
The axles and hub assemblies of such small trailers are subjected to extremes of operating conditions, including submersion in water or mud, high speeds and general lack of maintenance. Because of these factors, it is not uncommon to observe such trailers abandoned along the highways as a result of the failure of an axle or wheel assembly. This invites criminality of misappropriation and possible violence, not to mention the inconvenience and expense of delay.
Others have addressed this problem in various ways, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,058 to Horn teaches the use of a spare wheel assembly that can be swung into position to replace a damaged wheel. Lay, U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,679 teaches the use of an auxiliary wheel chained into place. Lay et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,813,687 teach a spare wheel attached to the trailer frame until needed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,560,629 teaches a vertical strut mounting a wheel and tire assembly to replace a broken axle. All of these references use an entire wheel, hub and tire assembly as a replacement. These devices are both heavy and bulky which adds to the over-all weight of the trailer and requires a greater size to carry them.